Temple Chai Religious & Hebrew Parent Handbook 2017-2018 5778 Laura Perpinyal Director of Congregational Learning Scott Goode Assistant Director of Education, Youth, and Engagement
Introduction Dear Religious and Hebrew School Parents, My name is Laura Siegel Perpinyal and I am the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Chai. I view the teachers, our office staff and myself, as partners with the parents of all our families in life-long Jewish learning and development; finding new and interesting experiences that create meaningful Jewish learning opportunities throughout our lives. I believe Jewish learning is a life-long endeavor, just as being a part of the Jewish community is a life-long commitment. For all of our learners, I envision diverse learning and growing experiences. While our learning starts with school, it extends well beyond the classroom with community experiences such as: informal learning through our youth groups, congregational retreats, becoming bar or bat mitzvah, peer trips to Israel, lobbying trips to Washington DC, Confirmation, and leadership and skills development for each of our students. I look forward to being on this exciting journey with each of our learners! This Parent Handbook outlines policies and procedures, broad goals, and a vision for Jewish Education at Temple Chai. There are many new elements to Congregational Learning at Temple Chai and each grade has a specific outline found further in the handbook. I look forward to an exciting learning journey with you! Laura Siegel Perpinyal Director of Congregational Learning Temple Chai Congregational Learning Vision Statement At Temple Chai we create a passion for living a Jewish life. We empower our learners to develop a personal connection to Judaism, God, Israel and Jewish Peoplehood. Through an exploration of our diverse Jewish Texts, we nurture active Jewish leaders and touch the minds, hearts and souls of our congregation. Learning ~ Living ~ Leading
Temple Chai Congregational Learning Goals At Temple Chai, we are all learners. Our school provides learning experiences for Preschool through 12 th grades. We also create multiple adult learning opportunities throughout the year. For our Pre-K-12 th grade learners, by the time they finish 12 th grade, we have a goal that they will have knowledge of, and experience with, each of the following learning areas: Personal Jewish Identity Development - Seeking Jewish answers to life s questions - Personal Connection to Israel, God, and Jewish Peoplehood - Personal, family connection to Jewish history - Yiddishkit: cultural vocabulary, local traditions and practices Jewish Literacy - TaNaCH (Torah, Prophets and Writings) o Reading Torah, exploring Torah stories, how to find commentary on a given portion, and to write and deliver a D var Torah (words of Torah) - Holidays and Festivals o Traditions, practices, and celebrations throughout our Jewish calendar - T fillah (prayer) o Reading of prayers, understanding of prayer theme, order of prayer service, leading a service for peers - Hebrew decoding/ reading, translation and understanding of the grammatical root structure - Jewish History o Major time periods, themes and milestones Reform Judaism - Informed Choice of Reform Judaism and knowledge of other streams of Jewish ideology - Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), taking actions that improve our world and our community. Important Contact Details Laura Siegel Perpinyal, Director of Congregational Learning: lperpinyal@templechai.org; 847-537-1771 ext. 228. Scott Goode, Assistant Education, Youth, & Engagement: sgoode@templechai.org; 847-537-1771 ext. 225 Deb Greenswag, Executive Director: dgreenswag@templechai.org; 847-537-1771 ext. 222
2017-2018 / 5778 School Year Below you will find the schedule of classes for Religious School and Hebrew School. Preschool students attend every other week on Sundays (9:00 11:00 a.m.) Kindergarten - 2 nd grade students attend once a week on Sundays (9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.). 3 rd - 5 th grade students attend both Religious School and Hebrew School. Religious School is on Sundays (9:00-11:00 a.m.) Hebrew School is on Sundays immediately following religious school (11:15 a.m. 12:30 p.m.) or Mondays (4:15 6:00 p.m.) 6th grade students attend both Religious School and Hebrew School. Hebrew School is on Sundays (9:00-11:00 a.m.) There is a choice for Religious School: o Sunday s immediately following religious school (11:15 a.m. 12:30 p.m.) o Wednesdays (5:30 7:30 p.m. with pizza from 5:30 6:00 p.m.) 7 th grade students attend once a week, Wednesdays (5:30 7:30 p.m., with pizza from 5:30 6:00 p.m.) 8 th -12 th grade students attend once a week, Mondays (6:30-8:30 p.m., with Pizza break at 7:15 p.m.) Sunday Monday Wednesday 9:00 11:00 a.m PreK-5 th Religious School & 6 th grade Hebrew School 11:15 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 3 rd 5 th grade Hebrew School 6 th grade Religious School 4:15 6:00 p.m. 3 rd -5 th grade Hebrew School 6:30-8:30 p.m. 8 th -12 th grades Beyachad (including 10 th grade Confirmation) 5:30 7:30 p.m. 6 th & 7 th grade Jr. Chai School
5778 Temple Chai Hebrew Goals Grade Time Frame Prayer Goals Books Conversational Goals Aleph (3 rd ) Bet (4 th ) Gimmel (5 th ) First Semester Second Semester First Semester Second Semester First Semester Learn all Letters and simple words Sunday/Thursday Midweek Greetings Learn all vowels and be able to create words Decode all letters and all vowels together Reading of words and short sentences with understanding Read the sh'ma and Shabbat blessings Decode and review all letters and all vowels together Review Sh mah Introduce Barchu and V'ahavtah Read and Recite the 4 Questions Torah Blessings, before and after Decode all letters and all vowels together Review of Sh'mah, Baruchu, V'ahavtah and Torah Blessings Introduce Maariv and Yotzer Or Derech Binah Zman L'tfilah Brachot 1 Barvaz packets: V'Ahavtah and Birchot HaTorah Zman L'tfilah 2 Barvaz packets: Avot & Gevorot Derech Binah, Kriyah Ut fillah Flashcards The New Siddur Program 1 L'hamsheik, Kriyah Ut'fillah Heneni 1 New Siddur Program 1 (Shalom, Boker Tov, Erev Tov, Lilah Tov. MaNishma? Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach, etc.) Numbers Colors Animals Cities/Areas in Israel Second Semester Avot v'imahot, G'vurot, Kdushat HaShem Foods Dalet (6 th ) First Semester Second Semester Review of Yotzer Or, Ma'ariv, Avot v'imahot, G'vurot, Kdushat HaShem Zman L'tfilah 3 HafTorah Blessings and Kiddish Ability to read a given Hebrew text Sim Shalom, Retzeh, Modim and Shalom Rav, Seder Kriat HaTorah Alienu and Kaddish Barvaz packets: The Kiddush and Haftorah blessings Heneni 2 Members of the family Short Phrases (Where is? How do you? What about?) Hey (7 th ) First Semester Second Semester Ability to read a given Hebrew text (such as a Torah portion) Ability to synthesis themes of a Torah portion with daily life. Review of Sh'mah and Baruch, V'ahavtah, Torah and HafTorah Blessings, Yotzer, Maariv, Avot v'imhaot, G'vurot, Kdushat HaShem, Sim Shalom, Retzeh, Modim and Shalom Rav Shalom Ivrit 3 Action words and verbs Creating sentences relevant to our daily lives
Temple Chai Curriculum Outline Kindergarten Jewish Holidays help to mark our daily lives and yearly calendar; each holiday has its own special symbols, rituals and traditions we experience at home and at temple. Mitzvot (commandments or often good deeds ) enrich our lives by creating meaningful experiences that we have with others and with God. Torah Stories connect us to our ancestors and help guide our actions today. Identify Jewish symbols Describe and experience Jewish holiday practice, ritual and traditions Retell and dramatize Torah stories Compare and contrast Torah characters actions with real life circumstances Demonstrate understanding of a variety of Hebrew words First Grade Our family is our core community; we celebrate our Jewish holidays and traditions through our experiences as a family. Many Jewish holidays are celebrated at Temple, but almost all Jewish holidays have special traditions that take place especially in our Jewish home. Every family is special and unique; we can learn a lot about ourselves through studying the Jewish families of Genesis. Analyze the central role of the family in our Jewish holiday celebrations Discover and create Jewish artifacts for our Jewish homes Recite blessings associated with different Jewish Holidays
Second Grade The synagogue community is like an extended family; it is our direct connection with Am Yisrael, the people of Israel. The synagogue is our home away from home : a place to pray, a place to learn, a place to celebrate, and a place with its own special customs and traditions, just like our homes. Learning about God gives us the opportunity to explore the sacred and bring a sense of holiness to our lives. Doing Mitzvot (commandments or often good deeds ) creates an intersection between Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), God, and us. Identify key elements of synagogue life, such as: synagogue space, synagogue leadership, synagogue values, and synagogue behavior Illustrate the relationships between Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), God and themselves Explore and express their relationship with God Develop ways to integrate Mitzvot (commandments or often good deeds ) into their daily lives Recite the Hebrew Alphabet
Third Grade Through the study of Torah we gain ethics and morals of the Jewish people. We can learn about ourselves and our own Jewish identity by analyzing the stories of Torah characters. We gain a deeper connection to our Torah stories when we relate them to our modern lives and can apply the lessons to our own experiences. Retell stories from Torah and describe Torah characters Recognize themes from Torah stories and interpret them in the modern context of our lives Formulate their relationships to God, Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), and our Temple Chai community, through the study of Torah Aleph (3 rd Grade Hebrew) The Hebrew alphabet is unique and special to me because it s the language of the Jewish people. The study of Hebrew is access to Torah, prayers and our ancient Jewish texts, as well as modern Israeli Hebrew. Write and decode all Hebrew letters and vowels Match letters and vowels to make simple words Read the Sh ma and Shabbat blessings Recall and respond to greeting phrases in Hebrew Experience T fillah (services) as a community of learners
Fourth Grade Our Jewish lives are marked by specific, uniquely Jewish lifecycle events. Each lifecycle experience has its own distinctive rituals, customs, and traditions. Jewish practices are a delicate balance of the individual and of the community; this is often expressed in life cycle experiences. Explain and experience [mock] Jewish lifecycle events Differentiate Jewish lifecycle rituals, customs, and traditions, for individuals and for the community, for each different lifecycle event Examine diverse behaviors, feelings, and emotions often experienced with different Jewish lifecycle events Relate their own experiences, emotions, and traditions to Jewish lifecycle events Bet (4 th Grade Hebrew) Every Hebrew word has a Shoresh (3 letter root). The Shoresh system is the foundation of the Hebrew language; it is the building block of each word. Decode all Hebrew letters and vowels together Decode the following prayers: Barchu, V ahavtah, and blessing before and after reading Torah Translate and interpret the meaning of the above prayers Read and recite the Four Questions said at a Passover Seder Experience T fillah (services) as a community of learners
Fifth Grade Jewish history is complex and multifaceted, filed with many tragedies and celebrations from around the entire globe. We study Jewish history because each generation (l dor v dor) is a valuable and vital link in the narrative chain of the Jewish people s past, present, and future. From studying the Holocaust we learn never forget ; we apply this memory to prevent modern day suffering. Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people. We explore Israel in order to celebrate its successes and grapple with its challenges. Trace Jewish history over time, in different locations, and surrounded by diverse cultures Compare and contrast the Jewish experiences of different times and locations throughout Jewish history Describe key moments of tragedy of the Holocaust and correlate those moments with resistance that enabled survival Reframe lessons of tolerance and justice learned from the Holocaust to be used in fighting injustices everywhere Articulate the diversity between Medinat Yisrael (The State of Israel), Eretz Yisrael (The Land of Israel) and Am Yisrael (The People of Israel) Gimmel (5 th Grade Hebrew) In Jewish prayer there is keva (fixed prayer) and kavannah (creative prayer). Prayer is a pathway to God; learning the building blocks of prayer deepens its personal meaning and enables creativity. Read the following prayers: Yotzer Or, Ma ariv Aravim, Avot v Imahot, G vurot and Kdushat Hashem Translate and interpret the meaning of the above prayers Explore cities and areas of Israel in conversational Hebrew Experience T fillah (services) as a community of learners
Sixth Grade The choices we make are important: mitzvot matter in our lives and in our world. We are obligated to care for one another; we are responsible for our community and must work to repair our world. We learn from the cadre of our Jewish Texts the values that guide our lives. Discuss and debate Jewish values Study Jewish texts such as Prophets, Pirkei Avot, and commentaries, and illustrate their relevance today Experience hands-on Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) projects Identify and integrate meaningful Mitzvot (commandments or often good deeds ) into their lives Dalet (6 th Grade Hebrew) Torah is read weekly, on Shabbat and holidays, portion by portion. An important element of community leadership is conducting community T fillah (prayer). Read the following prayers: HafTorah Blessings, Kiddish, Sim shalom, Retzeh, Modim, Shalom Rav, Seder Kriat HaTorah Translate and interpret the meaning of the above prayers Examine and debate Parshat HaShauvah (the weekly Torah Portion) Lead T fillah (services) for the week day community of learners
Seventh Grade Part of becoming a Jewish adult is articulating feelings and beliefs about Judaism and our modern world. Part of becoming a Jewish adult is taking on responsibilities and obligations of Judaism. Part of becoming a Jewish adult is making a positive impact on our community and on our world. Explore unique Torah portions and their commentary; synthesize themes found within a Torah portion and daily life. (Write a Dvar Torah) Discover Jewish philosophers and contribute to their debates Identify key elements of Reform Judaism and compare and contrast them with different streams of Judaism Develop leadership skills and put them into action Hey (7 th Grade Hebrew) Anyone can be Shalich Tzbur (prayer leader); leading T fillah (services) is an important step into Jewish adulthood. Becoming bar or bat mitzvah is not the end; it is a part of our Jewish Life Cycle journey. Read any given Hebrew text Examine and reinterpret keva (fixed prayers) and create kavannah (creative prayers). Lead T fillah (services) for their peers
Beyachad: Together Eighth -Twelfth Grades A combined community Jewish High School for the Northwest Suburbs: Striving to create the best learning experiences for our students, Beth Judea, Temple Chai and Beth Am are combining their 8 th -12 th grade programs to create a community High School, Beyachad, which means together. We are redefining what it means to be a student in the Northwest Suburbs! By combining Beth Judea s Temple Chai s and Beth Am s resources, Beyachad enhances student s learning opportunities with more diverse classes, taught by 5 clergy of the 3 synagogues, as well as other teachers. There will be a post-confirmation class offered each quarter that is designed specifically for upperclassmen who are post-confirmation age. Class Time Breakdown: 6:30 p.m.: Elective #1 7:15 p.m.: Dinner Break (Food available for purchase) 7:45 p.m.: Elective #2 Eighth Grade Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people. Each person has their own unique and special relationship with Israel. Studying Modern Hebrew enables us to engage with Israel and Israelis. Have the opportunity to participate in the community Ta am Yisrael experience Synthesize learning by developing learning experiences for younger grades and leading these experiences throughout the school Create and implement a school-wide, community Yom Ha atzmaut celebration
Tenth Grade/ Kabbalat Torah (Confirmation Class) Building relationships with one another creates a meaningful and authentic Jewish community. We learn best when we ask questions, challenge our assumptions and explore all possibilities of given issues. Our beliefs evolve over time, given our own changes and personal development. Spend time learning with our Rabbis and establish relationships that last a lifetime. Ask questions and engage in discussions about issues that are meaningful to you Integrate learning from past educational experiences (Jewish and even secular) to examine opinions and positions Evaluate beliefs on major themes such as: God, marriage, sexuality, ethics, and world events, and more Create and lead a community T fillah (service) synthesizing leaning Eleventh & Twelfth Grade (Post Confirmation Class) Temple Chai s post-confirmation class strives to continue the conversation of the students confirmation experience by examining deep and open-ended questions, challenging assumptions, and exploring current events and issues of today through a Jewish lens. The post-confirmation experience will be offered during Beyachad as an option during the second hour of classes each quarter. Classes will be taught by the clergy and educators of the three synagogues.
Temple Chai Youth Groups At Temple Chai, we expand learning and Jewish identity development well beyond the classroom through diverse Jewish experiences all year round. Through thriving Youth Groups, designed for every age level, our temple families and children engage with the Jewish community to celebrate holidays and enjoy fun activities through exciting special happenings offered. Make sure to check Temple Chai s website at http://www.templechai.org for future details regarding upcoming youth group events. Temple Chai Youth Days Temple Chai is thrilled to announce the creation of our Youth Days events for our youth groups. This year, our Chalutzim, Club 345, and Jr. ChAmPY groups (Kindergarten through 8th grade) will meet at the same time directly after Sunday School four times throughout the year. Our goal is to create vibrant exciting community days filled with outstanding Jewish programming for our youth and adults. ChAmPY ChAmPY is Temple Chai and Congregation Beth Am's combined high school youth group. ChAmPY stands for Chai Am Programs for Youth. The group is teen led with an advisor and they plan different events such as an OSRUI weekend retreat, BBQ s, shabbatot, and social action and interfaith events. OSRUI & NFTY OSRUI is the midwest's Reform Jewish overnight camp in Wisconsin. Since 1952, OSRUI has provided campers a place to build lifelong friendships, explore Judaism, and have the time of their lives. NFTY is the Reform movement s regional and nation youth group for teens. ChAmPY is part of the North American Federation of Temple Youth and its Chicago Area Region (NFTY CAR - for more information, visit www.nfty.org/car).
Temple Chai Youth Choir 2017-18/5778 Holiday & Rest of Year Schedule: September Rehearsals: Monday the 11 th, 18 th & 25 th Rosh Hashanah Day: September 20 th at 3:00 p.m. Yom Kippur Day: September 30 th at 2:30 p.m. Rehearsals for the rest of the year will be on Mondays from 6:00 7:00 p.m.
School Policies Registration You must be a member of Temple Chai in good standing in order to register for school. Registration will open in the spring of the preceding school year. Students enrolled in the previous year will be automatically registered for the following school year. For new families, please contact the Education Office in order to secure your registration. If you have any questions about registration, please call the Education Office: 847-537-1771, ext. 225. Special Requests Students are able to make one special registration request: either a friend (request must be mutual) or a teacher. We cannot accommodate any more than the one request, and cannot guarantee all requests will be honored. Attendance All students, Pre-K-12 th grades, are expected to attend all classes on the day and time for which they registered. If 3 rd -6 th grade students attend less than 80% of their classes, their bar or bat mitzvah date may be put into jeopardy. In case of an absence, please email Laura Siegel Perpinyal (Lperpinyal@templechai.org) or call Scott Goode at 847-537-1771 ext. 225 so that all relevant teachers can be notified. Early Pick Up - Always send in a note informing your child s teacher that you will be picking them up early; please include time of pick up. - When you arrive, park in the back parking or side parking areas. Do not park in the car-pool lanes or you will become blocked in line. Please come into the Education Office to sign out your student. Do not go directly to the classroom to get your child. One of our Madrichim will bring them to the Education Office. Due to safety concerns, we need to document when all children are released before the bell. School Closings / Snow Days - We follow School District 96 weather closings when applicable. If they are closed due to inclement weather, we will be closed. - We will email you to notify you of the closing as soon as the decision is made. - Check the Temple Chai Website for a posting of school closing.
Pick Up and Drop Off For your children s safety, pick up and drop off all take place at Main (East) Entrance of Temple Chai. Children and Madrachim should never be dropped off at the West door unaccompanied. Doing so puts your children and other drivers at risk. Please be environmentally conscious, and whenever possible, keep your car turned off while waiting in the car pool line. Do not use cell phones while in the car pool line. We need all your attention on keeping our children safe. You are not allowed to park in any reserved staff parking spots. These spots are reserved so that clergy and staff may enter and leave the parking lot for pastoral and work appointments safely and quickly. Safety Patrol Each school family with children in Kindergarten through 8 th grade is assigned one day each year to help with school dismissal. In partnership with temple and school staff, families are asked to help ensure the safety of our students by either coming to Temple Chai on their assigned day (one or both parents) or for finding someone to replace them (this should be another school family or an adult friend or adult family member). It is very important that you are present for your assigned day. On some days you might be the only one assigned and on other days we need multiple people to handle larger crowds. Please come to the education office at the time listed. There is a sign-in book you need to initial, a safety vest to don, and paper, pencil, and flashlights, as needed, to obtain. Your mission is to help with the following job: Go outside to the carpool line and write down the names of those being picked up. Bring or send those names to Laura Perpinyal inside, who will call students out to their cars. Escort students to their cars and help them get in and secure their car doors. Please escort those needing to cross through the traffic lanes. Help direct cars to pull all the way forward before loading and keeping the traffic flowing. If you have any questions, please contact Scott Goode, Education Assistant at 847-537-1771 ext. 225 or sgoode@templechai.org. Safety and Security At Temple Chai we take safety and security very seriously. The Education Committee, together with the Safety and Security Taskforce, Director of Congregational Learning, and Executive Director has created a Security Manual. This document outlines actions for security measures, drills and emergencies. Each room (classroom, social hall, library, etc.) at Temple Chai is equipped with an emergency backpack should an incident occur. There will be fire, tornado and/or lock-down drills scheduled throughout the school year.
Special Needs Each one of our students is special and unique and we treat each of our students as an individual. Many of our students need extra support for a variety of reasons; therefore, it is important for us to have information about each of our students so we can best meet their learning needs. Temple Chai is fortunate to have our Special Needs Coordinator, Michele Perlman. She works with each family, each student, and with their teachers to create their learning plan. Sometimes this includes extra tutoring, sometimes it s a trained classroom aid, and sometimes it s working with teachers to adjust activities or projects. Michele also teaches Hebrew and religious studies one-on-one as needed. All student information is confidential, and we appreciate working in partnership with parents to create the best learning experiences for their children. For example, if your child has an IEP, 504 plan or receives other support services at public school, it is helpful for us to know. Please be sure to include this information in the student profile section when registering your child. Food We are not a nut-free zone. However, we do our best to reduce peanuts and other allergy inducing food we have in school. The Sisterhood Gift Shop sells snacks before and after most class sessions. We encourage minimal use of food for celebrations and during school activities. Please consult with your student s teacher before bringing any food to class. Behavior Temple Chai is a community that is committed to creating a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. At Temple Chai we do not tolerate bullying of any kind. For all other behavioral issues that might arise, below is an outline of steps to be taken: The first time a student disrupts class, exhibits inappropriate behavior, uses inappropriate language, commits an act of aggression, or is disrespectful to a teacher, student or guest; students are referred to the Director of Congregational Learning. The second time a student behaves in a manner described above, parents will be called. At this point, the Director of Congregational Learning, the student s parents and the student s teacher(s) will work together to create a behavior plan for the student. The third time that a student behaves in the manner described above, the parents may be asked to come pick up their child from school. A research or social action project may be required by the student (relative to the behavior plan created above) before the student is readmitted to class. If the behavior continues, Clergy, Education Committee leadership, parents and the Director of Congregational Learning will meet to review the behavior plan, and/or action project. At that time, they will determine the most appropriate course of action for the student.
Thereafter, if a subsequent incident occurs, the Director of Congregational Learning will meet with the Clergy and Education Committee about the student, and a recommendation may include that the student is asked to leave the program. Cell Phones Cell Phones are not allowed in class, T fillah (services) or special events unless instructed by the teacher for educational use. Teachers may confiscate cell phones if they are not put away during these times and returned at the end of class. If this continues to be an issue, phones may be confiscated and only picked up by parents after school. Students may use their phones before school or after dismissal. Special Programs Throughout the school year we have multiple special events. These are not a day off of school, but rather exciting community learning events. Every PreK-6 th grade class has a Family Education Learning Day where parents and families are invited to learn with our students. Lessons are age appropriate, connected with content and curriculum and engage the entire family as learners. There are several all-school events scheduled throughout the year, such as Purim and Yom Ha atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day). Shabbat and T fillah (Services) All of our K-7 th grade students will be leading parts or all of T fillah (services) throughout the year. K-5 th grade students will assist our clergy with leading Shabbat T fillah (services). Our 6 th grade students will independently lead T fillah (services) as a class. This is an exciting leadership and personal development opportunity for our 6 th graders. Parents will be invited to this special service. Our 7 th grade students independently lead Hey Shabbat T fillah (services) for our community. All of our K-7 th grade students participate in weekly morning and evening T fillah (services) during school. These are hands-on, community building experiences and practice with prayer. Parents are invited to join with us for T fillah at any time. Tzedekah Tzedekah (often translated as charity) is an important component of any Jewish community. Every class starts by asking students to please give Tzedekah, it could be a few cents to several dollars. The act of giving and expressing the value of Tzedekah is an important experience for all of our learners. We decide as a school on which charities to donate to at the end of the year with all Tzedekah collected.
Glossary of Helpful Terms Berachah (pl. Berachot) - Blessing Shehecheyanu - Literally: "[God] who has kept us alive". This is the blessing for beginnings, happy occasions. It is also said at candle-lighting, Kiddush, and at certain other specific times during festival observance. Tzedakah - Literally: justice, righteousness; the Hebrew word we use for charity. Bar/Bat Mitzvah - Ceremony marking children reaching the age of religious majority. Haftarah - Selection from the Prophets read or chanted after the weekly Torah portion. Talit (Talis) - Prayer shawl. Shabbaton (pl. Shabbatonim) - A Sabbath program of study and celebration. Kallah (pl. Kallot) - A conclave or retreat Chavurah (pl. Chavurot) - Informal group which meets together for study and celebration. Mezuzah - Ritual object consisting of a casing and a klaf (scroll) which is put on the doorpost(s) of the house. Megillah (pl. Megillot) - Literally: scroll. There are five megillot in the Bible. The one read on Purim is Megillat Esther. Purim Schpiel - Humorous play put on at Purim. Hamantashen - Filled three-cornered pastries supposed to represent Haman's hat. Rosh Hashanah - Literally: the "head of the year"; the New Year. High Holy Days - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, also known as the "High Holidays" or "the Holidays" Shofar - Ram's horn. Selichot - Penitential prayers. Tashlich - Traditional ceremony in which individuals symbolically cast their sins into a body of water Mitzvah - Commandments Challah - Braided egg bread, for Shabbat and festivals. Kiddush - Blessing recited or chanted over wine, emphasizing the holiness of Shabbat and festivals. Havdalah - Literally: separation. Ceremony on Saturday night, dividing the Sabbath from the beginning of the week Confirmation - Ceremony marking completion of the religious school courses often held on Shavuot. Torah - Literally: "teaching." In a narrow sense it is the Five Books of Moses, handwritten on a parchment scroll. In a broad sense, it is everything which flows from this (i.e. Judaism). TaNaCH - Acronym for Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings) - the three sections of the Hebrew Bible. Bimah - The raised platform in the synagogue where the Torah is read Parashah - The weekly Torah portion Zionism - The belief that there should be a Jewish homeland in Zion (Israel)